Michigan Thursday: Thoughts On the Word ‘Formal’

May 13, 2010   ·   Big House Bob   ·   Jump to comments

I keep reading these reports on the Big Ten and the universities they didn't offer spots to. The replies from the universities and the Big Ten seem similar:

Universities: We haven't received a formal offer to join the Big Ten.

Big Ten: No formal offers have been sent out. 

The use of the word "formal" intrigues me. It's clear that the Big Ten doesn't want to be turned down "The Bachelor" style like they were the last time they asked Notre Dame to join the conference. It seems to me that the Big Ten is following the same process as athletic directors do when they are trying to hire a big name coach. If your not familiar with the process, here it is. 
When a big time program like a Notre Dame wants to hire a big-time coach, they don't want the interview process and a possible "no thanks" to be all over the media. So they work through third parties to "gauge interest in the position." If the interest comes back to be "no thanks," ND doesn't...

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